Marketing Ethics – Improper Selling and Sales Management

Marketing Ethics – improper selling and sales management According to Marketing Ethics (2007) “marketing ethics are moral principles that define right and wrong behaviors in marketing.” The publics are now more and more concern about the ethical practice of a firm. The firm that I have chosen to discuss in the essay is Cable TV Hong Kong, which is owned and operated by i-Cable Communication Limited. It is the second company in Hong Kong that provides subscription television service. There were claims that the company uses improper selling method to avoid customers from terminating contracts.

Cable TV Hong Kong uses some unethical method to avoid customers from ending their contracts. The Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority had received at least 14 complaints in May. According to the procedures of ending contracts with Cable TV, customers have to call the Cable TV to request a termination. Plenty of customers complain that the hotline number provided by the company usually does not work. Customers need to fill in a form in order to end the contract, but not many people are aware of this requirement. Customers are also required to fax or mail forms to Cable TV. But Cable TV always claims that they never receive any fax or mail concerning contract termination. Cable TV is trying to hold back their contract. Nevertheless, the current regulations, Broadcasting Ordinance, do not authorize the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority to restrain promotion, charges and the contract arrangements of the subscription television. So the authority can only handover the complaints to related company and the complainants. Cable TV’s action does not break laws, but it is obviously unethical. According to Schlegelmilch, B (1998) “customers are the most important stakeholders group for a company.”(p.22) If companies want to operate their business ethically, they should consider the customers first. Also Mccoll -kennedy, J, R, Kiel, G, C, Lusch, R, F and Lusch, V, N,(1994, p.627) point...

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Course Supervisor:
Dr. Munzir Ishaque
Report Topic:
Marketing Plan for
CleanWell Hand Sanitizer
Program:
MBA-Executive
CleanWell Hand Sanitizer - Zero germs – instantly!!
LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION
Students of Principles of Marketing
Institute of Business Management
Dear Readers:
We have been authorized to conduct an elaborate study on the Marketing Plan of any product, by the Management of Institute of Business Management and the course instructor of Principles of Marketing, Dr. Munzir Ishaque. The enclosed plan contains thorough Marketing Plan and its associated required elements.
Emphasis will be to evaluate as much material as possible to familiarize ourselves as well as the readers with the overall planning activities, when marketing any product.
I hope that this report will serve the requirement of being a complete set of information to develop any marketing plan.
Yours sincerely,
Maria Abbas
Mariam Haleem
Muhammad Khurram Zakaria
Suleman Ahmed Ali
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
April 19, 2009
Dr. Munzir Ishaque
Course Instructor
Principles of Marketing
Institute of Business Management
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objective
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• Improve product awareness.
What is sales?
Objectives
• To find prospective customers
• To convert these prospects to customers
• To keep them as satisfied customers
Difference between selling and marketingSellingMarketing
•
•
•
•
•
•
Emphasis is on the product
Company Manufactures the
product first
Management is sales volume
oriented
Planning is short-run-oriented in
terms of today’s products and
markets
Stresses on needs of seller
•
•
•
•
Emphasis on consumer needs
wants
Company first determines
customers needs and wants and
then decides about the product
Management is profit oriented
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today’s products and terms of
new products, tomorrow’s
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buyers.
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• Written by Theodore Levitt in 1960
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...All businesses need a sales function in order to identify and target potential customers, develop a reliable customer relationship and provide goods and services in return for funds (Chris Anderson 2009). Without this core activity, businesses could easily drop out of competition. However, in today’s hectic and intricate selling environment, ethical behavior has been more and more taken for granted and has gradually lost its importance (Ingram, LaForge and Schwepker 2007, 301). Many international businesses, including some high-end brands, intentionally undertook immoral actions to rocket their sales figures (Vasagar 2007; BMW of North America, Inc. v Gore (1995) 517 U.S. 559). Have businesses come to a point where unethical practices need to be done to reach their goals?
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